Alamance County’s art community rebounds: a tale of resilience and renewal

In a county marked by its rural character and economic differences, Alamance County has had a slow start to bring together the art community once more after the pandemic restrictions were lifted. Artists and event organizers alike have been eager to revive the art scene in Alamance, but have faced challenges in their quest to do so.

Sean Echeverria, supervisor of special events for Burlington, said that the attendance at art events in the past year in Burlington has ranged from 750 people to over 8,000 people for popular events such as the Carousel Festival.

With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, Burlington Recreation & Parks Department is able to resume events at pre-pandemic capacity. With the sky being the limit, they are able to revamp and improve the events put on. The only problem is getting the attendance to match the improvements.

“People are creatures of habit,” Echeverria said. “So if they go to the same event every year, and then they took, you know, two or three years off because of COVID. It's getting it back on their calendar, making sure that they know, ‘Hey, we're back.’”

In terms of community engagement, Echeverria sees that not only is there support from within the department and city council, but also from the community.

“They see the importance of it, they see the need, and the desire of people is that they want things to do,” Echeverria said. “They want places to go.”

The government itself allocates funds every year to the art organizations to each of the states. It mainly relies on demand and the population. Many arts organizations rely on funds from organizations and the government to be able to keep themselves funded.

As shown in the graphic above, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies released data in their Legislative Appropriations Preview on both the budget for the fiscal year of 2023 and the proposed budget for the 2024 fiscal year from each state's arts commission. Compared with the other 49 states, North Carolina’s 2023 budget ranked number 30.

The latest proposed budget from the government for the amount of art funding for the fiscal year of 2024 in North Carolina is $9,146,169, which is the same exact budget as 2023.

Kathleen Gwinnett, a local painter in Burlington, has been active in the Alamance Arts community for over 30 years. She is active with Elon University, painting Christmas cards for Elon University's President Connie Book, leading a Zoom event for Life at Elon, as well as being commissioned to paint Elon landscape paintings for donors.

Gwinnett believes that lower level of art participation and funding in Alamance could be caused by the lack of art education in the county.

“People do appreciate it, but not everybody does, you know?” Gwinnett says.

Rita Zoccolante-Duxbury, a wood turner in Graham, has observed that because of the rural nature of the county and lack of exposure to art compared with other counties, it can be tougher for artists to sell their art.

“The cultural way they look at things is a little different here,” Zoccolante-Duxbury said. “And we're finding that. But you know, you have to teach people and expose them to different things and make them appreciate it. And they don't realize it until they get into it themselves.”

In terms of the art literacy in the community, Zoccolante-Duxbury and husband James Duxbury, who is also a woodturner, believe that art is at a point where it is declining and not many people are taking the initiative to expose themselves to it.

“We feel sometimes that we are culturally deprived,” Zoccolante-Duxbury says.

Duxbury stresses about the importance of participating in art. He points out when it comes to more tactile art forms like woodturning, not only are you making art, but it can be a useful tool in everyday life.

“Once you do it, we don't buy anything,” Duxbury said. “It's so much faster to make it and make what you want the way it is, fits your hand or fits whatever you're doing.”

Gwinnett also emphasizes the importance of making sure everyone has access to her art which is why she keeps her prices low.

“I'm just happy that people have them, you know, I don't want to feel like they can't afford it,” Gwinnett says.

Kathleen Gwinnett shows the Christmas Card she made for Elon University's President Connie Book

Kathleen Gwinnett shows the Christmas Card she made for Elon University's President Connie Book

Rita Zoccolante-Duxbury posing next to some of her creations in her home

Rita Zoccolante-Duxbury posing next to some of her creations in her home

James "Jim" Duxbury modeling one of his woodturning hats

James "Jim" Duxbury modeling one of his woodturning hats

Duke Gardens Wysteria by Kathleen Gwinnett

Empire State Building by Kathleen Gwinnett

Highland Lakes, NJ by Kathleen Gwinnett

River View Park, NJ by Kathleen Gwinnett

Kim Williard, programs director at Alamance Arts, agreed with Gwinnett in her observations on lack of funds that, if increased, would help boost art in the education system in Alamance. One point she did point out is that art education is not just within the confines of the classroom.

“Everybody is moved by some kind of art,” Williard says. “It could be music, listening to the radio, but you know, it may not be a visual. It can be painting that you're moved by.”

In its 2022-2023 Impact Report, Alamance Arts paid its artists $91,000 which was an 81% increase from the previous year. One of their main sources of income was from the government at 37%. The other main sources of income were sales and tickets from events and contributions from the community.

In terms of community engagement, the report revealed that among the 88 active volunteers and 3,428 collective volunteering hours, it was equal to over $86,000.

One of Alamance Arts biggest obstacles, Williard said, is reaching a larger audience. Although it has a solid base of participants and volunteers, it wants to expand its reach to more age groups and demographics.

“I know that our hope is to kind of not break groups apart, but grow groups so that they're more of the same,” Williard said. “The one thing that can bring people together is art. No matter what you look like, what you believe, looking at a piece of art can bring people together.”

Zoccolante-Duxbury points out that although art can be a tough profession to get into and sustain, it is all about turning off your brain and enjoying the art you create. For artists who are just getting into the business, she says you need to have passion to get through the highs and lows.

“Don't set your goals, especially your financial gains, and your goals for how much money you're going to make,” Zoccolante-Duxbury said. “Don't set those too high. Because that can be very, very disappointing. You have to love and have a passion for what you're doing before the monetary pays off.”